The Shadows of Loss
by Tyrunner
Summary: He is gone from their lives, and all that's left is the pain and grief in their hearts. A sad sequel of ME3; an alternative of my other story For What We Hope.
1. The Darkness of Grief

**The Darkness of Grief**

It came gliding in, with almost no effort as the ship slowed to an almost complete stop as the docking arm came out and extended to the ship, locking in place. From the terminal room that connected to the other end of the docking arm, blue eyes, starting to mist, watched with shaking anticipation as the Normandy settled at the port of Nos Astra, on Illium.

Miranda had been waiting for the _Normandy_'s arrival. She had managed to reach Illium just hours before the Normandy did, and part of her was worried. No, that was too soft a word for her. Dreading, that sounded more suitable for her situation. She dreaded to hear what she was already fearing, and given that it had been almost a week since the defeat of the Reapers, with no word at all…She had a feeling that any news she was going to be given was not going to be good, but against her better judgment, she still hoped.

"Hope is an illusion," that was what someone told her years ago, when she was a young, budding operative in Cerberus. She had always thought it was a bit cynical to think in such a way, but here she was, hoping against hope that somehow, someway…he was still alive.

She was arguing with herself about how she was basing her opinions and also her heart on hope. It went against her logic and thinking in every way that she had been familiar with. She has to know it was useless to hope. She had tried to brace for this, when she last spoke with him.

…_I wanted to say goodbye_.

_Don't say goodbye_…

The tears started to build again as she reheard his words again, almost like he was actually there speaking them into her ear again. If she closed her eyes, she could almost feel him; that he was going to be there with her. His strong arms around her, his natural masculine scent, his warm breath on her ear or her neck, as sensitive as it would make her, would also have her as secure and safe as she could ever feel. She shook her head, grimacing and feeling the tears growing in her eyes. She was trying to hope, yet she dreaded that it was something she feared so much…

"Miranda? They're here." The soft voice just off to her right made her raise her head, her arms tightly around herself as if trying to shield herself from what she felt was going to be the inevitable. She let out a shaking breath as she watched the crew of the _Normandy_ slowly file off the ship.

The looks on their faces didn't help to sway Miranda's emotions. It almost seemed like every crew member had the same somber stare as they walked past, not acknowledging anyone that was there to witness their arrival. The "1,000-yard stare" was prevalent on every face that walked by, like the war's strain had finally taken their toll. It was first regular crew members that walked by, though she recognized two from the mission against the Collectors, Kenneth Donnelly and Gabby Daniels. Kenneth had his arm around Gabby's shoulders and she leaned in to him, their faces not showing anything different than what Miranda had seen.

As others walked off, Miranda recognized more and more faces. She saw Dr. Chakwas walking off, though the look on her face was one of collected control. She was the first to notice Miranda, giving a light smile and nod as she walked by. Given what she had gone through and how she had seen and dealt with so much through her years, it should've been no surprise that Chakwas would be the most able of the group, though her eyes still showed soberness, which didn't help to ease Miranda's worries.

Then, more of the crew members that Miranda recognized came out, and their expressions were no different as they walked past her, barely giving Miranda any recognition at all. Tali had her arms around Garrus, his own arm around her shoulders, followed by Lt. James Vega and Lt. Commander Ashley Williams, both just walking by, their eyes staring forward. As Williams walked by, Miranda saw red in her eyes, like she had not slept, but also, as if she had been crying. Miranda could almost feel the emotion growing inside her, like the facial expressions did nothing to help her feel any better. She knew how close Ashley had been with…she couldn't bring herself to say his name. She knew if it came to mind, it could overflow everything that she was trying to hold back, though holding it was no better for her.

The last group to come out were the pilot, Joker, who limped out while being helped by the _Normandy_'s AI, EDI, who was now in a robotic body that she was able to take control of, making her a more visible member of the crew and the ship. EDI was the only one to notice and speak to Miranda, addressing her as "Operative Lawson," even though Miranda was no longer a part of Cerberus, which was now, for all intents and purposes, ceasing to exist. Joker barely could nod as she could see his face contorted, and Miranda felt like what she saw on his face reflected how she was feeling. Then, the last person came off the ship.

It was Liara T'Soni, and as she slowly walked out of the docking arm, she held something in her arms, something that Miranda at first couldn't recognize, and as the asari walked to her direction, everything seemed to start to become a swirling blur in her mind and eyes, as her tears started to shimmer even more. She had the feeling grow. She had to know, even though she hoped…

"Ms. Lawson…I'm so sorry…"

Liara's voice broke through the turmoil inside her, causing Miranda to blink, which made her pent up tears start to flow down her cheeks, as long streaks that shined, which was a direct contrast to the darkness that was now starting to come forward. As Miranda looked down, she saw that she had taken what Liara had had in her arms.

It was Shepard's N7 jacket. He had always worn it when he was off the _Normandy_, when not in uniform. The heaviness of the leather almost seemed to drag her down as her left hand reached to gently touch the monogrammed logo. Her body was shaking now, as was her soft breathing. She was barely able to summon the strength to lift the neatly folded jacket, to bring her face to it. As she inhaled, she could smell him through the secondary scent of tanned leather. It was then it all came to a head for her. The realization and the sober truth.

He was gone. He was not coming back to her. Shepard…was dead.

That finally broke her. The sobs started as soft, whimpering cries, but as Miranda felt Oriana's hands on her, pulling her head to her twin sister's chest, it grew. Her eyes screwed tightly shut as the crying grew in sound, her anguish finally pouring out as she began to mourn the loss of the man she loved so dearly. Her mouth was open, contorting in an expression of profound grief that any person of any species could identify.

Oriana's eyes also poured tears, in sadness for her sister in experiencing such a terrible loss, one that made her wonder, as strong as Miranda had always been, if she could ever become even the slightest resemblance of her old self. As she looked up briefly, Oriana could see the asari that had been Shepard's most dear friend also shedding tears as her hand gently went to Miranda's shoulder, gently stroking it as the older Lawson's crying became the only noticeable sound in the room. There was no light to be seen by them. There never could be, it seemed.

All there was now, was darkness, death, loss…

* * *

_Hello everyone! As part of my month-long sabbatical from my other story, _For What We Hope_, here's one of my planned projects coming to the forefront. It's part of a three-way story series that I had been planning for quite some time. I'm not going to include details right now, but it's going to be a tie-in to _FWWH_, as well as my other planned Miranda fic, _Follow the Lies_._

_This story is going to be one of sadness, grief, and trying to move on, and also, it's going to be a LOT shorter than the other stories I'm going to write, as in it will be, at the most, 7 chapters, if it even gets that far. This one, I'm going to try to enjoy doing more, though it will also, in a way, be therapeutic for me. _

_I recently have lost my girlfriend (actually, I've not heard from her in almost a year, and now that her cell-phone number is now somebody else's, I have to finally move on, as hard as it is for me.), and this seemed like a good time to let this out of me. So, in a way, Miranda's grief is partly my own. I've also taken the many different levels of grief that I have experienced in losing people close to me. I've lost an uncle, a good friend, two of my favorite teachers, and, the worst grief of all, my father. If the feelings seem to be so real, it's because I'm recollecting the feelings that I felt and experienced during those dark, sad times._

_Oh, and this was written while listening to "Farewell and Into the Inevitable" from the ME3: Citadel soundtrack, to try to further add to the feels of this chapter. If you want to, listen to it while reading this chapter, and I'm sure the tears will be there for you as it was for me._

_With that, enjoy, and Keep Readin' and Writin'!_

_Oh, and be sure to follow my Facebook page, Tyrunner Mass Effect FanFics!_


	2. The Fog of Numbness

**Fog of Numbness**

When one is in grief, the days melt together with one another, with no change from one to the next. There is no emotion after the initial shock, just complete numbness of the soul, struggling to comprehend with the loss. Like any significant event, it takes time for the mind to process it all, to let it sink in until the mind accepts it as fact and finality. Sometimes, it may take forever.

As the days dragged on in ignorance, those closest to Shepard were still in grief and mourning, in the many various stages; from those that knew him as a gallant leader, to those that saw him as a loyal comrade, to those that saw him as something even more. Regardless of the connection to Shepard, the loss and grief still felt the same. The process of grief was the only difference from one person to the next.

Liara was the only one that seemed to be able to think and act in what others would observe as a "normal" matter. She took it upon herself to make sure that everyone, especially those closest to Shepard, were handling the death of him as best as they could. From what she saw, most of them were, more or less. Tali and Garrus were spending almost all of their time together, mostly, from what Liara saw, reminiscing on the many adventures they had with Shepard. Ashley was with James, pouring her heart out to him, aided by some liquor, with Vega making sure she didn't overdo it. As for Joker, well…even though EDI was helping him as much as she could, for an AI who didn't possess the same emotions as the organic beings around her, it was not easy for her to help Joker cope with his emotions, though from what she saw, Liara could tell that Joker was grateful for EDI's company, and that was helping him in a small way.

T'Soni had also been attempting to reach out to anyone else she knew had fought with Shepard at one time or another. The only one she had been able to make contact with so far was Wrex, and from what she was able to read from his reaction, Shepard's death had struck him hard as well, though it wasn't easy to tell what the krogan leader's true emotions were. Compared to everyone, though, there was one person that Liara was most concerned about.

She walked to the hotel room, politely knocking on the door, which soon opened, with Oriana standing there. Her clothes had wrinkles strewn about, indicating that she had been sleeping in them, and her face and body language showed weariness, with her eyes having distinct darkness under them. Even so, she tried to give a smile as she nodded to Liara, "Hi, Dr. T'Soni," addressing Liara by what she felt was her appropriate title.

Liara nodded back to Oriana, pausing before asking, "Hello, Ms. Lawson…May I please come in?"

Oriana already knew what Liara was planning to do, and even though she did let T'Soni enter the hotel room, she gave a light sigh as she closed the door, "Dr. T'Soni…I…"

After a brief look around the small hotel room on Illium, Liara noticed the closed door nearby, and gave a small gesture to it. "How is she doing?"

The younger Lawson gave a more hopeless sigh, lowering her head and putting a hand over her eyes, rubbing them, while also trying to keep back her tears of frustration, "I don't know what else I can do. She's been in there for almost five days now. She's only come out briefly to get food, but then promptly goes back into the room and locks the door. Every time I've tried to talk to her, she's either not answered or demanded for me to leave her alone." Her voice cracked some, "I want to help her, but I don't know what I can-" Oriana's voice of desperation at wanting to help her grief-ridden sister was interrupted by Liara's gentle hand on her shoulder, which caused her to look back at the asari, seeing her face, while her eyes showed pain, her expression was calm and collected.

"Let me try. There is something I need to tell her about anyways." Giving Oriana a pat on the arm, Liara then walked to the door to Miranda's room. As she got close, she heard Oriana speak out to her.

"Respectfully, I doubt that you will be able to do much better, Dr. T'Soni. If she won't listen to me, I don't think you will be able to help much."

Nonetheless, Liara went to the door, giving a light knock before speaking somewhat softly, "Ms. Lawson? It's Liara T'Soni. I need to speak with you, please." Silence was the only response that came forth from the other side of the door. Liara bit her lip briefly before trying again with another knock, "Miranda…please, I need to tell you something…very important." There was still nothing coming from Miranda. Looking down at the door, seeing it was locked, Liara raised her left arm, activating her omni-tool. Typing on it for almost a minute, the door's status changed from red to green, and she opened the door, stepping into the bedroom.

Inside, the room seemed to have an air of deep grief in it, just from first glance and feel. The bed's covers were unmade, the pillows in random positions, with a small pile of food containers nearby. Sitting at the foot of the bed was Miranda, her head hanging, still holding Shepard's jacket, the only thing she currently had that could remind her of her lost love.

Sensing the grief was still strong in Miranda, Liara walked quietly and slowly to her. As she got close, Miranda suddenly spoke, her voice, soft, deeply saddened, with a complimented tone of annoyance and grief-fueled anger, "I didn't say you could hack the door…"

Liara lightly nodded, looking down at the floor, then raising her eyes back to Miranda, "Sometimes, we need to do things we shouldn't, for those we care for the most…" T'Soni paused, seeing Miranda show not one single little reaction to what she said, just staring pensively at the jacket in her hands, gently caressing the black leather, as if she could will some part of Shepard out with it, like rubbing a lamp to bring forth a genie. After taking a deep breath, Liara spoke again, her voice still soft and respectfully gentle, "Miranda…it is not good for you to be like this. To shut yourself away from those who care about you, it's not going to help anything."

Miranda didn't respond. She only continued to keep her eyes locked on the jacket, her right hand's stroking now shifting to the monogramed N7 logo. Her black hair was disheveled and helped to keep anyone from clearly seeing her face, which had tiredness and deep loss etched on the fine skin, along with her reddened eyes and indications of tears coming down her face.

Another pause came from Liara, realizing already that this wasn't working like she had foolishly hoped. She pulled out a datapad, typing on it briefly, "I have made contact with Admiral Hackett. He's…he's planning for those closest to…" She stopped, thinking over the worry of mentioning Shepard's name to Lawson. "Well…they wish to have a…memorial service…on the _Normandy_."

"…I can't."

It was all that Miranda could say, with the painful emotions swirling and smoldering within her, threatening to break the surface if pressed. Though it was a risk for her, Liara persisted. She knew she had to, to a certain extent.

"Miranda…I think you need to. I…I don't know what else I can say. You need to be there. For all of us, for yourself…for…"

Miranda spoke again, her voice rising some, "Leave…now."

Liara could tell by the tone, she was ready to crack, to break down, and not knowing how it could possibly turn out, T'Soni didn't want to risk it. She slowly stepped back, though not before leaving the datapad on the nearby wardrobe. She paused again, about to open her mouth to try one last time…

"NOW."

Miranda's left hand clenched, and Liara could see a hint of blue, that she was about to threaten more with her biotics. Given that nobody had ever really seen Miranda's abilities when she was emotionally driven, she didn't want to risk it. Liara closed the bedroom door and used her omni-tool to lock it. She then turned to Oriana, who had a look of near-hopelessness.

"What else can we do?"

Liara thought this over herself, thinking of what she could say that could help the younger Lawson, but, she was at a loss. "There's nothing more we can do, accept to be there for her, Oriana." She wrapped her arms around herself, looking back to the locked door with a soft sigh. "It's up to her on how she moves on from this, just like everybody else."

A nod came from Oriana, though her concern didn't ease at all, "I'm scared for her. I'm worried that she's become genuinely shattered by this. Every night, I can hear her crying herself to sleep. She's…"

"I know…" T'Soni just nodded, already knowing what she was trying to say. Liara went to Oriana's nearby datapad, entering in the same information on it as the one she gave to Miranda, then placed it on the nearby counter, then looking back to her, "Just keep me updated on how she's doing, Oriana. If you need to talk at all, please let me know."

Oriana nodded, then, biting her lip, her own eyes shimmering softly, put her arms around the asari, "And I'm really sorry…for all of you."

A soft smile came from Liara, as she quietly shed her own tears as she put her own arms around Oriana, happy to have somebody offer her sympathy when she had been giving it herself to everybody. After a long pause, the two parted the comforting embrace as Liara looked to Oriana, "Thank you."

After a nod and soft, quick parting words, Liara stepped out, the brief comfort from before quickly disappearing, replaced with concern for Miranda. Back inside the hotel room, the same feeling overtook Oriana as she sat down on the couch, putting her hands on her face, her tears growing more as she said a silent prayer, as desperate as it sounded, for something, anything, to help her grieving sister.

* * *

_HEY ALL! I'm alive and well, though now jobless and having to deal with a lot over the last few months, including starring in a play at a nearby community theatre, which was a blast I might add. _

_As for my stories, I have not abandoned any of them, I'm just starting to get back into them, with this chapter being the beginning of my return. I'm about half-way through Chapter 15 of For What We Hope, so I'm hoping to get it finished within the next couple of weeks, depending on everything else in my life working out the way I hope._

_I'll be telling more in the author notes in Chapter 15 of FWWH, so, until then,_

_KEEP READIN' AND WRITIN'!_


	3. The Aura of Dreams

**The Aura of Dreams**

She lay there on the bed, still fully clothed, staring out at the nighttime sky. Though there was an orange-like haze coming from the lights of the city on Illium, she could still see many stars, their brightness penetrating the light pollution, sparkling without seemingly any care. While their appearance could be inspiring to many, to Miranda, they were now a cruel reminder. She knew that he was now out there, somewhere, possibly scattered by the explosion that destroyed the Reapers. She had been told, by Admiral Hackett, that not much was found of what remained of him. Only his N7 dogtags, a few pieces of his armor… and not much else.

As Miranda lay on the bed in the hotel room in Nos Astra, she looked through her window, her tearful eyes gazing at the stars, and then at the serene view of the spaceport. Its many lights were glimmering from all directions. From other buildings, from skycars flying by, from docked starships, one of which was the _Normandy_, which, however, just served as another terrible reminder. The tears returned as she started sobbing again. She was lying on her side on top of the bed's covers, which were rumpled about on the bed, with her having neglected to set it proper in the days since she had locked herself into the hotel bedroom. In her arms, she held a pillow tightly, pressing it to her as she let her tears flow down her face, soaking the soft covering.

She didn't even know why she was grieving like this. She had never had this much emotion come out of her, never been this hurt by anything. Even when she saved Oriana at Sanctuary, she wasn't this emotional. She had always been conditioned, by herself and by Cerberus, to keep herself composed and professional. Her head clashed with her heart, with her head telling her to stop such mindless moping, while her heart told her that she couldn't hold it in any more.

Miranda was at a loss. She didn't expect to be hurt this much by him being gone, but it was almost overwhelming. She knew she was heartbroken, which meant to her that she cared about him more than she could have ever imagined. Her pain and grief started to shift towards anger as her wandering mind went to the last time they ever spoke. He had promised her…she had made him promise her, that he would come back to her.

_Then finish this…and find me._

_I will…I promise._

Her voice cracked out, sounding as broken as her heart and spirit were, "Damn you…damn you, you lying bastard." New tears joined the voice as she quietly let out what she wished she could say to him. "You promised me…you promised you would find me...How could you do this to me? How could you lie to me like that?" She knew that it was irrational of her to find him at fault. She had known that it had been highly improbable that he would return to her, and yet it did nothing to quell the pain, the sorrow.

"_Miranda…"_

The voice sounded distant, yet penetrating and prominent. It caused Miranda to promptly open her eyes and lift her head. She had heard him; his voice was instantly recognizable. When she raised her head, she saw that she was no longer on her bed on Illium. What replaced it was a large dark void, with tiny lights floating about, like little stars. It was like she was in space, but was safe from the fatal dangers of vacuum, sub-zero temperatures, and worse. She picked herself up, standing up as she looked around, trying to conclude upon where she was now. She could see more of the blackness and stars below her feet, yet she felt like she was on a solid surface, like a floor that was one giant window.

As she looked about, a long horizontal sliver of white light appeared, almost blinding, from a distance. She stared at it, squinting her eyes slightly as she saw a black form start to come out from the sliver of light. It walked calmly, with inner confidence and swagger. As the figure got closer, showing her more of who it was, Miranda felt her heart skip beats. He was walking towards her.

He was wearing his familiar casual attire. His N7 jacket, the same one that was in her hotel room, a white t-shirt underneath, denim jeans, and cowboy boots. His hands were in the pockets of his jacket as he walked to her with a calm smile, with a look in his eyes that always could calm her inner turmoil. Even so, she was shocked to see him. She slowly, hesitantly, walked to him. When she reached him, her hands slowly went to him, to feel his body. The feeling was familiar, yet…different. She could tell he was there, but it didn't quite feel right to her. As she looked up to him, fresh tears coming down her cheeks, she struggled to speak, to say anything. Part of her wanted to believe this was real, that it was actually happening, but logic told her otherwise.

"Are…are you…?"

His smile grew as his hand came out of his pocket and reached out to brush her tears aside with his thumb. His touch felt the same way as her feeling of him just before. He finally spoke, his voice now as clear as though he _was_ there, soft and deep, loving, "I was given a chance to see you, if for only one last time…I had to keep my promise."

Miranda blinked at him, frozen by his words. She looked at him in stark disbelief, her inner anger wanting to broil over, but her other emotions were keeping it down. She could still vocalize it, though, as she was able to reply back, "You…you didn't keep it."

This time, he gave her a look of slight confusion, tilting his head slightly, "Did I? I promised you that I would finish this war…and that I would find you." His hand went to her cheek, his soft, yet firm touch causing her to tremble softly as her eyes glistened up to him. "And, I did. I found you, didn't I?"

The complicated emotions made Miranda close her eyes slightly, giving a sigh of light frustration, knowing that, in a way, he was right. Even so, she had to say it, "…You ass…"

He just smiled and put his other arm around her, to the small of her back, to pull her closer. With her head somewhat lowered now, his forehead tilted forward to rest against hers, his blue eyes looking to hers, his voice, while still soft and deep, was now more serious, yet still loving, "Miranda, I'm glad you're grieving for me, but you can't spend the rest of your days locked up, unable to come out. This is unlike you."

Her eyes shot up to him, her voice still showing her pain, even with him there, "You don't think I know that? I…I want to, but…but you're gone. I…don't know how…"

"You do." His voice became more serious, "You do and you don't want to. This is all new to you, Miranda, I know. But, you can get through this. You are strong enough to, and your sister is strong enough; she will help you." As he spoke, Miranda could feel the pain starting to alleviate, to become less, though still present. "If you don't move forward, then I had died for nothing. You don't have to worry about me anymore. I am at peace. I am safe now."

Though her eyes still were shimmering, she felt everything start to calm inside her with his words as she pressed her body back to his. Even though she knew that this was a dream, the feeling of reality was still there, as she exhaled, feeling more tears start to spill over.

"I know…I just…I just don't want to leave this…to leave you."

She could feel his smile, if that seemed possible, "I won't be far away, Miranda. I'll always be with you, even if it's not in person. And, when your time comes as well, I will be here, waiting for you."

Miranda gave a grim smile at this, looking back up to his eyes, "I'll probably live for almost 200 years, you know…"

His smile mirrored hers, "I can wait." His smile faded slightly as he leaned in to kiss her once more, a much deeper and meaningful kiss, her arms rising up to wrap around his neck, his hands going to her back, keeping their bodies close together, if for only one last time. It had been something she had wished for back when she last saw him. As the kiss finally ended, the two started to reluctantly part, she said to him what she had meant to say to him so many times.

"I love you, Shepard."

His gentle smile, one that, combined with his voice, could always calm her and make her feel wanted, came from him as he started to fade away, the white glow behind him starting to grow, causing her to close her eyes from the almost blinding light.

"_I love you too, Miranda…And I always will…"_

With a light gasp and quick blinking of her eyes, Miranda suddenly realized she was back in the hotel room, the star that lit Illium starting to rise, signaling a new day. She knew that she had fallen asleep somehow, but she didn't feel tired anymore. There was still pain in her heart and spirit, but there was also a feeling of revitalization in her.

She slowly lifted herself up, sitting up on the bed, and looked around, finally taking in her surroundings, seemingly for the first time. Everything in the room looked like someone living in complete seclusion. Food dishes scattered about, bed covers astray on the bed, with a black N7 jacket sitting on the dresser. She slowly stood, looking at the jacket, and the datapad that lay nearby. Miranda recalled that Liara had left that there for her, reminding her that there would be a memorial service to Shepard on the _Normandy._

She unlocked the bedroom door, pausing at the doorway, as if she was finally taking in her surroundings. On the sofa in the living room, right next to the bedroom she just got out of, Miraunda saw Oriana, sleeping, covered by a light blanket. As she watched her twin sister sleep, Miranda felt a sudden flow of comfort go through her, something to tell her that, despite what, and who, she has lost, she had her family. Going to one knee next to the sofa, she gently nudged the younger woman's shoulder, speaking in a soft whisper, "Ori…"

Oriana gave a light snort and groan as she woke up with a light start, blinking and rubbing her eyes with one hand as her eyes readjusted and she gave a light gasp, sitting up as she saw her sister there in front of her. "…Miranda? Are…you...?" Miranda didn't say anything right away, she just put her arms around Oriana in a dear hug. Oriana had no idea of what caused her sister to suddenly snap out of her deep grief, but she was immensely relieved either way. "Miranda…I'm…I'm so…" She tried to whisper her own condolences, but she was stopped by Miranda's soft and strong, though still sad, reply.

"I know, Ori…I know…"

With no sounds, just light tears from both, the two sisters continued to cling to one another.

* * *

_**I…AM…BACK!**_

_Actually, I've never really left, but my life has been going in so many directions and places this year, I feel terrible, knowing I'm leaving so many people down. Here's the short version._

_First of all, I've had the worst case of writer's block for For What We Hope, though hopefully, with the finish of this chapter, that ends. And speaking of writing…I've been unable to for the last 3 months, as my laptop completely gave out on me, and I'm now stuck trying to write on my phone, which is a big pain if you're trying to write over 3 pages, let alone 14 or more. I'm going to either probably get a tablet (my mom's suggestion), or a better Dell laptop, probably a Latitude. Just need to get the money saved for it._

_But, the big news now, earlier this month, I got a part in a new upcoming online series, titled _N7 Chronicles. _It's basically a bunch of 2-minute farces on Mass Effect. Who am I in the series? I'm the voice of…__**KAIDAN ALENKO**__! I know, crazy, isn't it? To find out more, follow, like, and subscribe to Lightmare Creative on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube! Our first season debuts in October!_

_As for a timetable on more updates, that's still TBD, but I want to get the next chapters up in a couple weeks, at least. I'm also going to try to update again on my Facebook page to keep you all informed. Until then…._

_KEEP READIN' AND WRITIN'_


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